Posts Tagged ‘Mid Life’

Rocky Mountain High

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

That image of those three bicyclists at 8,000 feet, with the Colorado Rocky Mountains above and below them,  was permanently etched on my brain.

I had just turned 13.  And yet, I was thinking and dreaming as if I were an adult.

Their summit, the Continental Divide, was still potentially a few hours away for them, at 10,000-plus feet elevation.

Our bus would reach the summit in just ten more minutes.

Have you ever dreamed of doing something uncommonly care-free and ultra-adventurous?

Why?

What is that voice inside all of us that speaks to our desire to go on an adventure that is far beyond our present understanding and capabilities?

And wouldn’t it be nice if we could still tap into that now, and make the adventure of being a responsible adult, exciting and even, “fashionable”?

Bring It On

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Today.  This morning.  Right now.  Bring it on.

What does that mean? Who am I talking to?

First and foremost, I’m talking to myself.  Journaling is a world-class way to self-awareness.

Self-awareness is the most important step towards self-improvement.

My (life) pace does not lend itself to either.

Which is why I write five blogs every day.

What was once impossible, is now business as usual.

Make Your Day Great

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Make your day GREAT!

If you don’t, who will?

If not today, when?

Heck yes most of us are buried with things that seem unbearable.

Carpe diem.  It’s completely up to each of us, isn’t it?

How Cold Is It?

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Freezing Cold

Freezing Cold

Weather.com says the current Anchorage, Alaska temp is  (4AM) 19 degrees, but the official “feels like” temp is 12 degrees.

Hope your day is full of warmth, no matter the outside temperature.  Carpe diem.

Moose on the Loose?

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Alaskan Moose on the Loose?

Had just pulled away from taking a photo at the Anchorage International Airport, when traffic started to slow and then stop. Here’s what happened.

My reaction is actually kinda funny – typical of a person who lives in a land surrounded by sunshine, Disney and palm trees:

Blank Sheet of Paper

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

This can be scary, a blank sheet of paper. Not as scary as last night’s traditional “ghost and goblin” Halloween traditions.  But scary nonetheless.

In today’s world, it’s more like a white (blank) page on a blog.

The pressure of the clock.  The fifth of five daily blogs.  The thought of writing something just to write to fill up the space.

Scary?

Yes, and sometimes, necessary.  Carpe diem.

Why Isn’t jeff noel Funnier?

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Why?  Because becoming hysterically funny (in addition to being uncommonly insightful and off the hook fast), would only lead to fame and fortune.  While this would appear, to most people, to be a good thing, it’s actually a catch-22.

Jimmy Buffett, in one of his clever songs, sings, “I don’t want the fame that brings confusion. Where people recognize you on a plane“.

Tiger Woods responded this way when I asked him last year, “Do you ever get tired of being famous”?  - “Since day one”, he answered, matter-of-factly.

But the other day, a seed was planted fertilized when a Google Alert for “Mid Life” led me to this funny blog by Tia – Clever Girl Gone Blog.

Just Sunday, at a meeting, I mentioned that my blog posts (1,300–ish in six months) aren’t particularly funny, even though in real life, I am.  Inspiring?  Fairly.  Funny?  Not so much.  I’ll work on it as time permits.  Ok?

Meanwhile, just wanted to say thanks for following.  Carpe diem.

jeff noel Burning The Candle?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

jeff noel Burning The Candle?

A friend recently asked, “So how has writing five daily blogs affected you. What have you given up”?

I’ve given up:

  • Watching TV
  • Walking our Dog
  • Yard word, particularly our perennial gardens
  • Reading the (online) Orlando Sentinel, CNN, etc
  • Spending time with Family
  • Cut back on exercise (believe it or not)
  • Cut back on sleep (yawn)
  • And a few other things

It struck me later that night, while reflecting on his question and the answers.  Cutting back on work, or anything remotely related to cutting back on work, wasn’t mentioned.

I am addicted to work.  Many people are and simply don’t know it because they associate with others who are the same.

Nevertheless, I’m driven to create something bigger than myself, to help raise money until a cure is found for Crohns disease.  What are you sacrificing?  What are you sacrificing it for?

jeff noel and Search Engines

Monday, October 26th, 2009

jeff noel and Search Engines.  SEO. Search engine optimization.  Google. Yahoo, Bing. Safari. Firefox. Internet Explorer. Mozilla.  There are a ton of search engines out there.

Mostly, I use Google.  Why?  Google is the most recognized, and Google dominates search engine traffic.

Meeting with a fellow writer yesterday, he was using Yahoo. He told me that jungle jeff and Lane 8 we’re number one on the Yahoo search engine.  I didn’t believe him until he did the jungle jeff and lane 8 Yahoo searches.

Amazing.  Even more amazing, or maybe more interesting, was that on Yahoo, jeffnoel.org ranked higher than jeffnoel.com.  Not sure how that is possible.  And at this point in the journey, there are bigger challenges to worry about.

Do you have a decent prioritization matrix to handle cool distractions?  I do, but it only works about half the time.  :)

Everything’s Amazing, Nobody’s Happy

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Everything is amazing, but no one’s happy.  This came through on my Facebook yesterday.

It’s a guy talking to Conan O’Brien about how amazing things are today, but yet nobody’s happy.

It’s refreshingly funny, because of the obvious insight.

Click here to play.